Should a roof inspection and cleaning be done together?
Why the order matters
Cleaning chemicals and foot traffic are hard on a weak roof. If shingles are brittle, lifted or already losing granules, a cleaning crew can tear tabs or wash away what protection is left. An inspection first also creates a before record, which matters if a dispute ever comes up about damage that existed before the cleaning.
What a good cleaning looks like
- Soft wash, not pressure wash. The Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association advises against power washing shingles; a diluted bleach solution applied at low pressure and rinsed gently is the standard approach.
- Plants and gutters protected. Landscaping is wetted and covered, and runoff is rinsed.
- No scrubbing of algae streaks, which strips granules.
When cleaning is not worth it
If the inspection shows a roof near the end of its life, with widespread granule loss or cracking, spending money on cleaning just makes an old roof look better for a season. Algae streaks also come back, usually within a few years, unless you add prevention.
Good timing in Georgia
Spring and fall are easiest: mild temperatures keep the cleaning solution from drying too fast, and it is a natural time to clear pine needles from valleys too. Read black streaks and algae on roofs and moss and lichen on roofs for what you are actually cleaning off.